Six Years In Counting
by Sydelle Rein
Summary: What happens when a certain someone tells a certain best friend about certain feelings for a certain other someone, then the certain best friend tells the certain other someone not knowing he's the certain other someone? KD


Six Years in Counting

Her door burst open.

"Mithros it's good to have a change of scenery!" Neal exclaimed. Inviting himself in, he plopped down in a chair. Kel was sitting on her bed cleaning her glaive.

"I thought you'd still be wrapped in Yuki's arms," she said casually with a mischievious grin. Neal blushed.

"She's off talking to Buri right now."

Kel groaned. "They'll be talking dresses and makeup for hours," she speculated. With the upcoming weddings they'd been doing nothing but. "I am a little surprised though," she said nonchalantly.

"About what?"

"That you're letting something as small as girl-talk stand between you and your beloved betrothed."

"Ya, well…she's gotta—wait. Was that an insult?"

"More teasing than insulting, but yes. Bright, aren't you?"

Neal stood in mock anger. "I don't have to sit here and take this!" He strode towards the door and yanked it open. "Farewell _Mindelan._"

"Yes, go run into Yuki's arms again."

"Hey, just because _you_ don't have someone to love—" Kel quickly ducked her eyes back to her work—too quickly. _"You don't!"_ Neal exclaimed disbelievingly. "Do you?"

"Don't you have a wife-to-be to run off to?"

He shut the door again. "Not until you tell me who he is."

"He's no one—I mean _there's_ no one!" Too late.

"Aha! So there _is_ a man!" Kel groaned.

"Ok fine, yes there is. But I'm not telling you anything."

"Oh come on Kel," he pleaded. "Please? I always told you when _I_ liked someone."

"You didn't tell me anything! I figured it out! Anyone could've figured it out—come to think of it everyone did figure it out."

"Well eventually I'll figure this out, too."

Kel laughed. "I highly doubt that. For someone as smart as you, you're certainly not very perceptive."

"Cleon?"

"Neal, I'm not—"

"Merric?"

"Neal—"

"Owen?"

"Neal!" He looked up. "Will you let me talk so I can tell you I'm not telling you?"

"Oh come on." Kel didn't even answer. "Fine. But will you at least tell me something about him? If not his name?"

Silence. "He's a really good friend," she said at last. "I've known him for six years and he's always watched out for me."

"Don't tell me our Kel was a typical damsel in distress." Neal teased. Kel glared at him. "I'm sorry, all right? But after all the teasing I took over the years?" He sat down again and Kel sighed. "When did you meet him? _How_ did you meet him?"

Another sigh. "I'd…forgotten to eat once. He gave me a turnover" (A/N: What is a turnover, anyway? /randomcomment )

Neal whistled. "So romantic." She chucked a pillow at him. "Hey!"

"You, sir Meathead, have used up your questions for the day. _And_ you are sworn to secrecy," she added as an afterthought.

"Oh come on! At least tell me—"

"No."

"But—"

"No."

"What about—"

"No."

"Fine!" He stormed out of the room, much the child who'd been denied a sweet.

-

"Ugh!"

"What's the matter with you, Meathead?" Dom asked, looking up from his papers. "And don't you knock?"

"Kel is just—She won't—ugh!"

"Calm down. What's this about Kel?" Neal caught Dom's eyes for a split second before looking away. He wasn't at all sure Kel wanted anyone to know. Actually, he was sure: sure that she didn't.

"Ok, now you _have_ to tell me," Dom demanded, thoroughly interested now by his cousin's strange behavior. "You come barging into my room, interrupting my work; you've got to give me something."

A grin spread across Neal's face despite his efforts to keep it off. He was dying to tell someone. And he'd never actually _agreed_ to Kel's demand for secrecy. "Ok." He shut the door. "You're not going to believe this, but our little Lady Knight's in love."

"Really?" he asked. There was an odd look in Dom's eyes. Disappointment? Neal wondered. But no, he must have imagined because just as soon it was gone. "With who?"

"She won't say! And to think I always told her about my fancies."

Dom snorted. Neal never "told" anyone anything. It was just painfully obvious. "Well she must have said something about him." His voice almost sounded...dead. As if he didn't really want to know.

"Just that she's known him…six years." Neal said, sitting down on the bed. What else had she said? "Oh, and that he gave her a turnover the first time they met."

Dom's head snapped up, his face paled slightly. "D—did she say why?"

"She'd forgotten to eat, which doesn't make much sense because she never forg—what in Mithros's name is wrong with you?" Dom had turned very red.

"N—nothing," he stammered, and began shuffling his papers around on his desk.

"You know who it is! Who?" Neal demanded.

The redness increased a couple shades. "No I don't!" he denied.

"Yes you do! Now tell me. I'm her best friend. I have a right to know!"

"Neal, don't you think if she wanted you to know she'd have told you? If she'd wanted _anyone_ to know she'd have told them?" With each word he grew steadily redder.

"It's obviously someone I know, or you wouldn't be making such a big deal about it. And it's obviously someone I either don't like or don't trust or you wouldn't be turning so red right now! If I can figure that much out why can't you just _tell me?!" _he demanded.

Dom stood up abruptly, scattering papers. "Mithros you're dense!" he exclaimed. Neal was thoroughly taken aback.

"Wh—?"

"It's _me_ you moron!"

Neal starred. "No WAY!" Dom's red face was tinged in purple now. Neal's, on the other hand, paled to an ashen gray. "Oh she is going to kill me." Dom looked away, collapsing into the chair behind his desk again. "She just—and I—you—then she—Oh I am so dead!" He looked at Dom. "You _cannot_ tell her I told you or she'll—"

"Oh shut up, Meathead," Dom spat out, slightly annoyed. "This isn't about _you._"

A thought trickled into Neal's head. "Dom, you don't happen to…?"

"And you will be leaving now." Dom stood abruptly again and shoved his cousin towards the door.

Neal planted his feet firmly. "Please tell me I am not _that_ dense," he demanded. "My own _cousin_ and my _best friend!_ And I never—!"

"Goodbye Nealan." With a final shove Dom managed to push Neal out the door and slam it shut, leaving a very dumbfounded Neal.

"My cousin and my best friend…" he muttered under his breath. Then he laughed. "I'd better be the best man."

-

With a deep breath, Dom knocked on the door. "Come in," a slightly breathless voice called. He opened the door, careful to make sure his face didn't give away his nerves. "Hey Dom," Kel greeted, leaning on her glaive and panting slightly. "What can I do for you?" She carefully hung her glaive on its hook on the wall. She wiped sweat off her brow.

Dom shrugged in what he hoped was a casual way. "I'm bored," he lied. "So I thought I'd see what you were up to. If you don't mind," he added quickly.

"Not at all." He fought to read her expressions, but he couldn't. They sat in silence for a while. It wasn't exactly awkward, but Dom wouldn't have minded having some sort of conversation leading _up_ to what was on his mind.

"So…" Dom said at last, when the silence became too much. He decided that now was as good a time as ever. "I just had an interesting conversation with Neal," he commented as casually as he could.

"Oh really?" she asked, looking slightly curious.

"Apparently a friend of mine's fallen in love with someone." I watched her from the corner of my eye, pretending to be interested in her collection of waving, porcelain Yamani cats.

"Oh really." It was impossible to read her expression—that damn Yamani mask. "Anyone I know?"

"You might. She's a good friend of mine. I've known her for six years now."

"If he—!" She stopped dead.

Dom turned and looked her straight in the eye. "If he what, Kel?" She opened her mouth but no words came out. "Kel, I just want to know the truth," he said honestly.

The silence seemed to stretch forever. "I…" she looked down. "I guess it's true."

"You guess what's true?" He had to hear her say it.

She looked up and their eyes met. Her mouth opened and closed several times. Then she gave a sigh of defeat. "I guess…I love you," she muttered.

Hearing it made his breath catch. "You're sure?" She nodded. His face broke into a broad smile. In two strides he had crossed the room and kissed her. He could feel her surprise, but a moment later she kissed him back and he had never been happier.

At last he released her, slightly out of breath. Their faces remained scant inches apart. "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get over you?" he demanded with a laugh. "And you just let me go through all that torment."

"Well you could have said something," she pointed out.

His only response was to kiss her again.

The door opened. "Hey Kel have you seen Yu—" Dom and Kel sprang apart and Neal froze in the doorway. "Well excuse me," Neal said with an annoyingly knowing smirk.

Dom turned red again. And despite her best Yamani training, Kel's cheeks grew a tinge of pink as well. "Have I ever told you how much I hate you, Meathead?" Dom asked.

"Yes, but this is worth hearing it again." Dom took a step forward and Neal raised his hands in surrender. "All right! I'm going, I'm going! Behave yourselves children." He shut the door, and this time Dom locked it.

Kel started laughing. "Only Neal…" she trailed off, laughing too hard. "He has the most wonderful timing, doesn't he?" she asked sarcastically when she could speak again.

Dom sighed. "That greatly depends on your definition of 'wonderful.'" But he was smiling. Not even Neal could damper his spirits just now. Instead Dom turned and kissed Kel again, smiling against her lips.

He had to remember to thank Neal one day—but right now he was busy.

A/N: Tadda! I hope you liked it! If you did, please check out my other fics!


End file.
